Best Black Ops 4 weapons to help you get ahead in a fight

Know the best assault rifle, SMG and more before you dive in to the Black Ops 4 weapons rack

We’re long past the “jetpack era” in Call of Duty, but that doesn’t mean the series has reverted back to the slower paced nature seen pre-Advanced Warfare. Black Ops 4 has managed to maintain the rapid, intense gameplay seen in more recent futuristic Call of Duty titles. But the question is, which Black Ops 4 weapons are the best? There’s a plethora to choose from, so let us delve into the best options for every circumstance.

ICR-7 (Assault Rifle)

The first assault rifle you unlock, the ICR has a moderate fire rate. Damage-wise, it’s not too impressive either if I'm being perfectly honest. But where the ICR shines is with its pinpoint accuracy and lack of recoil.

After you use the ICR for a game or two, you’ll unlock both Grip and FMJ. Whack them on and your gun becomes essentially a laser beam. No matter where they’re peeking from, you can snap on to them and every bullet will decimate. Once you unlock Long Barrel, you’ll deal even more damage at range and you’ll become unstoppable. It’s got decent iron sights too so you don’t even have to worry about rocking a Reflex, Holographic or ELO sight.

Spitfire (SMG)

Black Ops 4 is paradise for SMGs. The fast movement speed means you can get up close and personal for almost every gunfight, especially with the number of routes throughout each map. The Spitfire is utterly lethal when you’re in close quarters combat - it’s got low damage and range, but it makes up for it with its insane rate of fire.

Perhaps the best thing about the Spitfire is that when you unlock the Laser Sight attachment, you literally do not have to aim down the sights. You can clear entire rooms and objectives of enemies by firing from the hip, because the spread is so small. On the off-chance you do need to ADS, the iron sights are open which means you don’t need to throw a sight on there. Our optimal Spitfire loadout has Laser Sight I, Extended Mags and FMJ.

Paladin (Sniper Rifle)

In Call of Duty games, the first sniper you have access to tends to always be the best one. That hypothesis reigns true once again as the Paladin is an absolute monster. A heavy bolt-action with a long reload time, it’s a one shot kill to the chest and above. Equip High Caliber and you’re dealing even more damage.

You can get a number of sights for the Paladin, which means it’s possible to also use it like a shotgun. Equip the Holographic or Recon sight and you can easily take people out from close range. If you’re not accurate though and tend to whiff your first shot, you’ll be in a lot of trouble.

Vapr-XKG (Assault Rifle)

The second assault rifle on the list, the Vapr is a gun that bridges the gap between AR and SMG. The fast rate of fire makes it lethal at close and medium range, all while maintaining accuracy. Its damage isn’t too shabby either, making it a great pick for versatile players.

Unfortunately, the iron sights aren’t the best so we’d recommend sticking a Reflex or ELO on this bad boy. There’s no Grip to attach either, so attachment wise you’re going to want Long Barrel, High Caliber, and potentially Stock if you’ve got room for it.

MX9 (SMG)

Another gun you have right from the get-go, the MX9 is the final gun on our list. Reminiscent of the MP5 from previous games, it’s got a moderate rate of fire but deals the most damage per bullet out of all the SMGs. The MX9 also doesn’t have much recoil either, making this gun the perfect SMG for maps you may have a few long range engagements on.

There are a bunch of attachments to choose from, but we’d recommend opting for an ELO sight as the iron sights aren’t fantastic. Our personal loadout for the MX9 rocks an ELO with Hybrid Mags, Long Barrel, Laser Sight and High Caliber. Of course, you don’t have much room for perks with that but it’s worth it to make your primary weapon unbeatable.

It’s worth noting that none of the other guns in Black Ops 4 are awful - every single one has its place. The GKS SMG for example is a solid weapon at range, but its slow rate of fire means it’s not one of our recommendations. Tactical Rifles often tend to be a bit too slow in the core game modes, but can be absolutely lethal in hardcore, while LMGs require a much slower play style than what is optimal for this game. We haven’t included any secondary weapons because they’ve been far too inconsistent for us so far, meaning we mainly forego them in favour of more primary attachments.

Make sure you’re combining all of these weapons with our best Black Ops 4 specialists guide and you’ll truly be a force to be reckoned with.